(Los Angeles) A new category will be created at the Oscars to reward the role of distribution directors from 2026, the organizers of the ceremony announced Thursday.
This new statuette constitutes the first expansion of the prestigious American awards since the creation of the Oscar for best animated film in 2001.
“Casting directors play a vital role in making films happen, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines we recognize and celebrate,” Bill Kramer and Janet said in a statement. Yang, respectively director and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Distribution directors are a key cog in a film, necessary for the genesis of a new cinematic project.
By recruiting A-list stars or casting minor roles, they play a vital role in shaping the films.
The campaign to create an Oscar to recognize their work had been going on for several years in Hollywood.
The stuntmen also try to get their own statuette.
The Academy has not specified whether the Casting Director’s Award will be presented live during the Oscars ceremony, as is the case today for the 23 existing categories.
To shorten the ceremony and try to attract a larger audience, the organizers had pre-recorded the presentation of certain prizes considered secondary during the 2022 edition, an innovation abandoned the following year in the face of discontent among industry professionals.